Roast Turkey Breast

This may be the easiest turkey you will ever make

The best part is that with very little effort your going to get a very moist and flavorful bird

How are we going to accomplish this with minimal effort you might ask?

The answer is by brining the turkey

So lets talk about brining

Brining meats and poultry not only adds flavor, it adds much needed moisture.  Which you definitely want in a turkey

Lets get the brining liquid cooking first

We have 4 cups of water, 1 cup of kosher salt, 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns

DSC00298

Place all of the ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool completely

Now for the bird

We have about a 7.5 pound turkey breast that I placed in a large pot and covered with 2 gallons of water (or 32 cups)

DSC00304

I like to flip a plate over and lay on top of the bird

This keeps it from bobbing out of the brine

DSC00318

Cover this and let it brine for at least 24 hours (for even more flavor brine for 2 days)

Once your ready to roast the turkey preheat your oven to 350 F

Thoroughly rinse the turkey with cold water to wash off any excess salt from the brine then pat dry with paper towels

20161129_160326

Place the turkey breast in a roasting pan with a rack

Pour 2 cups of chicken stock in the bottom of the pan

Click on our link to make Homemade Chicken Stock

20161129_161029

We are going to go very simple with the seasonings

Extra virgin olive oil and 2 teaspoons each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

20161129_161118

Drizzle olive oil over the skin of the bird and rub it in

Then sprinkle with the seasonings

Place this in the oven and cook for around 2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 170 F

20161129_161354

Our breast came with a handy little timer, but I check with my own thermometer as well just to ensure I don’t over cook the bird

20161129_183021

Remove the bird from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes

20161129_191601

While the bird is resting I’m going to make some gravy

Bring the pan juices to a boil and scrape up any bits from the bottom

20161129_183907

Strain the pan juices into a small pot and whisk in 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master.  Bring to a simmer

DSC09834.JPG

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a separate pot and whisk in 1/4 cup of flour

Allow this to cook until lightly browned

Then whisk it into the pan juices to thicken, then voilà! the gravy is done!

Slice the turkey breast along the rib cage

20161129_192859

Remove the breast in a whole piece

20161129_193128

Now you can slice the breast crosswise into thin slices

You can see just how juicy the meat is

20161129_193310

We served this with some gravy, collard greens and cornbread

Click on our link to make our Collard Greens!

20161129_194201 (2)

Enjoy!!!

Simply Sundays! ~ Roast Turkey Breast

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Ingredients

7.5 pound turkey breast

For the brining liquid

4 cups of water

1 cup of kosher salt

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon of black peppercorns

2 gallons of water

For the turkey

2 cups of chicken stock

extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

For the gravy

2 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of flour

1 tablespoon of Gravy Master

Directions

Place 4 cups of water, 1 cup of kosher salt, 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns into a pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the salt and sugars have dissolved.  Remove from heat, uncover and allow to cool completely

Place the turkey breast in a large pot.  Add in 2 gallons of cold water, along with the completely cooled brining liquid.  Flip a plate over and lay on top of the bird to keep it from bobbing out of the brine.  Cover this and let it brine for at least 24 hours (for even more flavor brine for 2 days)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Remove the turkey, discard the brining liquid.  Rinse the turkey thoroughly under cold water to remove any excess salt.  Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and place it on a rack in a roasting pan

Add 2 cups of chicken stock to the bottom of the pan.  Drizzle the turkey with extra virgin olive oil and rub it in.  Sprinkle the skin of the bird with 2 teaspoons each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.  Place it in the oven and cook for around 2 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 F Remove from the oven and let rest at least 10 minutes

Heat the pan juices to a simmer then strain into a small pot along with 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a separate pot and whisk in 1/4 cup of flour.  Let this cook until it is lightly browned, then whisk it into the gravy to thicken it

Slice the breast down the rib cage to remove in one whole piece.  Cut the breast crosswise into thin slices.  Serve with the gravy

Tools used to make this recipe

Simply Bamboo Cutting Board

Wilton Cyclone Whisk

Calphalon Contemporary Roasting Pan with Rack 5 pc. Set

© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved

Published by

We love reader comments! Tell us what you think!